For a gardener, the best reward for troubles is a rich harvest. But picking peaches has become a rare occurrence due to the many fungal infections. And pests do not bypass the tree. In order to enjoy the long-awaited fruits in the summer, you must be able to recognize the symptoms of diseases and pests.
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Description of peach diseases and their treatment
Each garden owner is forced to fight with insidious enemies - mushrooms that cause various ailments.
Curly leaves
Thunderstorms in May increase the humidity in the air, which creates an ideal environment for fungal spores to grow. In such conditions, the crown of peach trees is often affected by the curliness of the leaves. The disease is caused by the voiceless fungus Taphrina deformans.
Where the fungus settles, the tissues overgrow, bulges form, due to which the leaf "curls"
On the leaf plates, swellings of a pale green or pink color are formed, the tissues thicken and deform. Diseased flowers have large petals with a variegated color. Young shoots slow down growth, bend, internodes are shortened.
Young peach stalks also suffer from a fungus that causes curly
Soon the leaves become covered with a wax coating, then dry out and fall off. Infected stems also die off in summer or freeze out in winter. Occasionally, curliness affects the fruit, which leads to the loss of hairs. The surface of the peach becomes glossy in places, swells and cracks.
If you do not take action, then the peach fruits will become infected with curliness.
Sporulation of the fungus occurs on the underside of the leaf in the form of a white waxy coating. The pathogen overwinters in kidney scales, bark cracks, litter. The disease progresses on open leaves in cool, rainy weather at a temperature of 10aboutC and dies down with the onset of warm dry days. In summer, re-infection usually does not occur.
Nectarine, apricot, and almonds also suffer from curliness.
The activity of the parasite leads to the complete loss of foliage by the tree, the death of annual shoots. The number of fruitful buds that are laid the next year decreases. With a strong infection, fruiting stops. Young trees often die.
To prevent curliness in the future, diseased branches are immediately cut off and burned. In summer and autumn, fallen leaves are collected and destroyed.
Diseased branches and leaves of peach are not placed in compost, but burned
In regions where the disease is widespread, it is recommended to grow varieties that are partially resistant to the disease.
In early autumn and mid-February, spraying with copper preparations, for example, HOM, is carried out. At the beginning of the growing season, the tree is treated with Horus, after flowering, Skor, Strobi, Ridomil Gold are used.
It is recommended to rotate the chemicals so that the fungi do not develop resistance.
Unlike copper sulfate, copper oxychloride less clogs the sprayer nozzles
Video: the secrets of the treatment of curly leaves
Powdery mildew
From the beginning of summer, a white felt bloom - powdery mildew - is often observed on the foliage, fruits, young stalks of peach. The causative agent of the disease, the marsupial mushroom Sphaerotheca pannosa, is activated in dry hot weather after a short rain.
Leaves diseased with powdery mildew are folded in a boat
The affected leaves gradually fall off, the tree lags behind in growth, loses frost resistance, and the yield decreases. The mycelium remains to winter in diseased, deformed shoots. In the spring, spores are formed, which are carried by the wind to the young growth. There they germinate and again become a focus of infection.
In order to avoid new outbreaks of the disease in spring and autumn, the crown is thinned out, the affected branches are removed and burned. For the prevention of fungal infection, biological products are used: Planriz, Fitosporin M. At the first signs of the disease, spraying with chemicals is carried out every 10-12 days:
- Topaz,
- Fundazol,
- Topsin.
If the peaches are on the verge of ripening, they prefer the fungicide Quadris, which has a short waiting time.
Due to the short waiting time, Quadris is also often used on vegetable crops.
Video: peach powdery mildew treatment
Clasterosporium disease
Closer to the middle of summer with an average daily temperature of about 20aboutC the fungus Clasterosporium carpofilum is actively developing. This is the causative agent of klyasterosporiosis - perforated spot. The disease can be identified by the leaves: where the mycelium has sprouted, brown spots with a reddish border appear.
Hole spotting threatens all stone fruit crops
After a while, the affected tissues die off, holes are formed in their place.
In the last stage of perforated spotting, the leaves are riddled with mycelium
Round orange spots first appear on the stems, which later stretch out. At the site of infection, the bark cracks, gum flows out. Soon the shoots dry out, the generative buds die off on the remaining ones.
The tree secretes a gum to heal wounds from disease or bark damage
Under the influence of the fungus, the fruits are also modified: red-orange spots take the form of brown swells. All peaches on the tree may crust over with cracks. As a result, the crop rots.
At the initial stage, klyasternosporia on the peach fruit looks harmless: a scattering of small dots
Measures to combat the disease include spring pruning and disinfection of sections with a Bordeaux mixture. The first treatment is carried out with copper chloride, when the kidneys are swollen. The second is before and at the end of flowering with fungicides:
- Horus,
- Speed,
- Topsin M.
Horus is effective only at temperatures from 3 to 10 degrees
In addition to peach, perforated spotting is found on cherries, cherries, plums, apricots.
Moniliosis
In wet spring, peaches and apricots suffer from the spores of Monilia cinerea. The fungus causative agent of moniliosis penetrates into the tissues of the tree through the opened buds.
Peach flowers are the gateway to infection for moniliosis
The flowers turn brown, the sap flow in the fruit branches is disturbed, they dry out along with the leaves. Such shoots look burnt, so this spring stage of the disease is called monilial burn.
The mycelium of moniliosis ruins the fruit twigs of peaches
After a while, gray pads appear on the affected parts of the tree. These are the maturing spores that now infect the ovaries. The disease flows into another stage - fetal moniliosis. A dangerous disease sometimes leads to a complete loss of crops. Infection occurs when it comes into contact with diseased fruits and when insects bite through their skin. First, a brown spot forms on the peach, which grows rapidly and covers the entire surface.
A distinctive feature of moniliosis is gray spore pads
Rotten fruits fall off or mummify.
Diseased fruits must be removed from the tree
They can hang on a branch until next year.
Dried peach fruits are best burned in a fire
Treatment of moniliosis includes a number of measures. The fungus hibernates on affected fruits and stems, so all "burnt" shoots are cut off. When sanitizing the crown, keep in mind that the mushroom spreads along the tree from top to bottom. Therefore, pruning of diseased branches is performed much lower, capturing 10-15 cm of seemingly healthy wood.
To prevent fungal ailments, experts advise thinning the crown, not thickening the plantings, so that the air does not stagnate around the trees. It is important to water and fertilize peaches in a timely manner, as the infection is usually picked up by weakened trees.
If stone fruit grows in the garden of neighbors, treatments should be carried out simultaneously to avoid a new outbreak.
Bordeaux liquid is used against moniliosis: before the beginning of the growing season - a 3% solution, after - a 1% solution.
Bordeaux mixture - a proven fungicide used for many diseases of horticultural crops
Sick peaches can be treated with chemicals in the following order:
- Horus;
- Topaz;
- Topsin M.
Helps with moniliosis and copper oxychloride: 4-6 sprays are needed.
Video: the fight against peach moniliasis
Fruit rot
When the ovaries grow to the size of a five-ruble coin, they sometimes become infected with fruit rot. The fungus causes brown spots on the fruit, which grow rapidly until the entire fruit is spoiled. Unlike peach moniliosis, in this disease the spore pads are not arranged in a chaotic manner, but in circles.
With fruit rot, peaches most often fall off, and do not remain on the tree, as with moniliosis
Several generations of the fungus are born in a season, therefore it is necessary to remove carrion and rot from the tree and bury them deeply. Before flowering, fungicides Teldor and Topsin M. are used. The treatment is repeated after flowering and during the period of ovary growth. The same schemes and remedies are effective against rot as with moniliosis, as well as pharmaceutical iodine: 10 ml per 10 liters of water. Trees are sprayed with a disinfectant solution a month before harvesting 2 times with a break of 3 days.
Iodine is a disinfectant for humans and plants
Peach pests and control
Insects also cause considerable damage to peach trees.
Flower beetle weevil
Even unopened kidneys are susceptible to attacks. They are eaten by the apple blossom beetle - a nondescript brown insect. Its body is only 5-6 mm long, and its head has a long proboscis, for which it was called the weevil. The beetle significantly reduces the yield.
In addition to the peach, the apple blossom weevil also harms other fruit trees: pear, apple, quince, apricot.
Among the people, flower-eating weevils are called elephants.
The weevil gnaws the buds and lays eggs inside, from which the larvae are born. They eat up the inflorescence from the inside. The secretions of larvae stick together the petals, and the flowers do not open.
Flower-eating weevil larvae eat inflorescences
A tree is infested with a weevil if:
- droplets of juice on the kidneys are noticeable;
- unopened flowers turn red and die;
- young ovaries fall off.
Traps made from armfuls of dry leaves, which are left under the tree in early autumn and burned in winter, will help reduce the pest population. In early spring when the air temperature is up to 10aboutA canvas is laid out under the trees and the beetles are shaken off with sticks wrapped in cloth. Trapping belts placed on the trunk during the bud swelling will also keep insects away.
It is useful to pick off and destroy dried flower stalks, the larvae probably settled there. In the summer, it is recommended to keep the trunks under the black steam, remove litter and weeds.
Dig up the peach stem circle and keep it clean
To completely eliminate the weevil before and after flowering, insecticides are used:
- Aktara;
- Decis;
- Calypso;
- Kinmix;
- Tanrek;
- Fufanon.
Insecticide Aktara is a systemic drug that penetrates into plant tissues
Aphid
Sometimes the leaves on young growths wither, curl, discolor and dry out. The culprits are easy to spot by looking at the back of the peach leaves. Small green or pinkish insects are peach aphids of different ages. Their ovoid bodies reach a length of 2 mm.
Peach green aphids are difficult to see with the naked eye
The wingless founder of the colony emerges from an egg laid at the base of a peach bud. In the first generations, only viviparous females are born to her, which very quickly give birth to offspring, doing without fertilization. Thus, the population is rapidly increasing. Only at the end of the season do males appear, fertilizing females that lay special eggs. Of these, new founders of the colonies will appear in the spring.
With large populations of aphids in autumn, trees must be cleared of tops and root shoots, on which eggs are laid.
There is no use from tops: they do not bear fruit, but only take away nutrients from the tree
In the summer, you need to remove all weeds, where insects feed and reproduce. On a small tree, it is easy to crush a small amount of aphids with your hands or use folk remedies: infusions:
- dandelions,
- garlic
- onion peel,
- tops of tomatoes.
It's better to crush aphids with rubber gloves.
In other cases, peaches are sprayed according to the instructions with potent insecticides:
- Aktara;
- Actellik;
- Bi-58;
- Calypso;
- Commander;
- Confidor Maxi;
- Corado.
The first spraying is carried out before or immediately after flowering and is repeated if necessary after 2 weeks. When the harvest is approaching, biological products that are safe for humans are chosen:
- Aktofit,
- Intavir,
- Fitoverm.
Sometimes ants bring other types of aphids onto the tree: blood, striped, black. They are destroyed with the same chemicals as peach. From such "guests" hunting belts, dressed on a peach trunk, will come in handy.
Fishing belts are an effective measure to control crawling pests
Video: destruction of blood aphids on a peach
Eastern moth
Butterflies are especially dangerous for peaches. Caterpillars of the eastern moth devour young growth, leaves, fruits. The front wings of this small moth are brown with white patches of color, and the hind wings are brown. Antennae filiform, tarsi black, wingspan 1–1.2 cm.
Eastern moth - quarantine pest of rosaceous crops
The eggs are pearlescent at first, then they become pink. Caterpillars only born are cream or pale pink. In adults, brown spines grow on the back.
The moth hibernates in a dense cocoon attached to the bark or plant debris around the trunk. In the spring, when the peach blooms, butterflies emerge from the pupae. Within 3-5 days they lay eggs on the underside of the leaves. After 1–2 weeks, the caterpillars hatch, which bite into the young shoot through the apical bud and make holes in it up to 10 cm long (up to old wood). The eaten shoot dries up. The next generations take root in fruits and feed on them.
Fruit moth can destroy 100% of the crop
The fertility of the moth is very high: during their life, females lay from 100 to 200 eggs.
Gnawed branches are cut and destroyed. In the fall, be sure to dig up a near-trunk circle with a turnover of the formation. Trunks and skeletal branches are cleaned of dead bark and burned.
The main method of protecting peaches from the moth is chemical. Trees are treated before and after flowering with insecticides:
- Aktara;
- Decis;
- Bi-58;
- Enzhio;
- Karate;
- Confidor;
- Mospilan;
- Regent.
Confidor is a popular systemic crop protection insecticide
The preparations are rotated to avoid the emergence of pesticide-resistant pest populations. In farms, the number of insects is reduced, disrupting the cycles of development of eggs and caterpillars with the help of new biologically active agents: Insegar, Nomolt.
Video: harm from the eastern moth and the fight against it
California scaled
The California scale insect is a genius of disguise. It threatens 150 plant species. In peaches, it affects the bark, leaves, fruits. In the spring, with the awakening of the tree, the larvae of the pest wake up, which overwintered in a cozy house - the shield. Sexual characteristics appear only after the first molt.
The female scale insect has no eyes, legs, whiskers and wings. The small head is fused with a light yellow body. Body length is only 1.3 mm.
The body of the female without a shield is very tender
After mating, males die of hunger, since they have no mouth from birth. During the first two months, females give birth to numerous offspring of the so-called "vagrants". They crawl through the wood in search of a comfortable spot, then pierce the peach tissue and release wax threads that weave together to form a round shield. After a week, the carapace becomes gray, and the scale insects shed for the first time.
Californian scale scutes - conical with light brown scales at the top
During the season, 2 generations of insects are born. The offspring of one female ranges from 120 to 400 individuals. They can completely stick around the trunk, leaves, fruits. At the place of attachment of the scabbard, the sap of the tree is sucked out.
After being damaged by the scabbard, the peach fruit becomes covered with red spots.
Pests move very slowly, so they most often get into the garden with new seedlings. A peach is attacked by scale insects if:
- yellow or brown scales were found on the leaves, which are hardly scraped off with a nail;
- the bark has become uneven and faded;
- there was gum flow on the branches and trunk;
- foliage sticks together.
As a result, the tree is depleted, the bark dies, the fruits are deformed, and the yield decreases. If the pest is not eliminated, the peach may die. The fight against the insect is complicated by the fact that the chemical preparations act only on the scabbard in the "vagrant" stage. Therefore, the trunk and skeletal branches must be regularly examined, cleaned and dead bark burned. It is helpful to whitewash trees, reducing their attractiveness to any parasites.
Whiten the bark and skeletal branches of peaches for disinfection and to avoid the spread of pests
In early March, before bud break, the garden is sprayed with an insecticide 30 V. The stem and branches are abundantly moistened with the chemical. It contains oils that cover the bark with a thin film, under which the scale insects will suffocate. This is how the overwintered larvae are destroyed. After flowering, the procedure is repeated. In June, a new generation of vagabonds may appear, which I treat with drugs:
- Karbofos,
- Sumition,
- Pirinex,
- Fufanon.
With a small population of scale insects, folk remedies are used:
- walnut infusions,
- wormwood,
- garlic
- tobacco.
In addition, the bark is wiped with a cloth soaked in alcohol or liquid soap. Mixing machine oil and soapy water in a ratio of 1:10, the peach is treated twice with a break of 10 days.
Spraying peach
Spring maintenance of the garden is required. Peach treatments should not be skipped so as not to lose the crop. From diseases and pests, spraying is carried out in the following phases of tree development:
- before kidney swelling;
- at the beginning of their blooming;
- during flowering (drugs that are safe for bees are used);
- after flowering.
During spraying, the respiratory system is protected with a special mask
In summer, the peach is processed if necessary. Consider the waiting times indicated on the packaging for sustainable fruits. If last season the tree was sick with powdery mildew, it is better to prevent the disease with the help of biological products.
In the fall, before falling leaves, spray trees against fungal infections.
Even if peaches are regularly disinfected, diseases cannot be avoided, since the wind brings in new spores from unkempt gardens. The same is with pests: young individuals arrive and crawl from foreign areas, if they do not take care of the trees there. Therefore, gardeners have to spray the garden every year and make diplomatic efforts to convince neighbors of this.
